Die grosse Englandkarte mit Nordfrankreich, Belgien, und Holland [Large Map of England with Northern France, Belgium, and Holland]

Great Britain stands alone and under siege.

This German-language broadsheet showing Great Britain and the adjacent coastline of northern Europe was originally published in 1940 in Duisburg, Germany by Carl Lange. Red overprinting indicates this updated edition was issued in February 1941, after the capitulation of France and the Blitz was in full swing.

The saturation of city bombings across Britain, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Island is emphasized with bright red circular ‘targets.’ Occupied coastlines of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway are also highlighted, with ‘Our Front Against England’ noted as a broad wave in the North Sea.

The poster skews geographic reality to give the impression that the tiny island nation is utterly surrounded and ultimately doomed. Such a forceful visual statement would have resonated with the German audiences, eager and expectant of total victory. An ironic and prescient caveat (presumably about accuracy) is included at the bottom of the page – “Without Guarantee!”